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Episode Summary
Written
by J. Cole Weston
Overlord
is preparing something deadly on a volcanic island. Can the
Zone Riders stop him in time?
Episode
Notes
Written
by J. Cole Weston
In
depth: Reaper supervises a ship being loaded somewhere in
the Singapore Zone. The Zone Riders ride up undiscovered and
hide their vehicles in a warehouse. Stealth is the order of
the day - no combat unless absolutely necessary. Courage gets
on deck and leads the other Riders onboard. Descending into
the cargo hold, they find a crate with Black Widow markings.
Using a laser box cutter, they open it and it contains some
sort of framework. Ned wants to set a bomb, but an alarm goes
off and they are discovered. Reaper radios for help from Intruder.
The Riders get away and Ned tosses a bomb in to the hold with
a three minute timer. Climbing out of the ship, Ned is shot
and falls into the water. But is rescued by Courage and Jones.
Reaper comes across the bomb and tosses it overboard where
it explodes harmlessly.
Back at M.C.C., Dr. Laurence shows General McFarland that
12 ships like Reapers are heading to the island of Baliban
in the Sunbai Straits. Courage reports in from Regional Headquarters
in Australia. Ned has taken a bad hit and can't use his arm,
so he'll have to stay back. Franklin predicts Overlord is
going to use a satellite to zone the rest of the world. Ned
explains to Dirk about the volcano launch site on the island.
True to Ned's word, the Widows have converted the volcano
into a missile base. They can launch by midnight since Reaper
has brought the final pieces. The Zone Riders do a rare submarine
insertion and ride their vehicles in water mode from the sub.
Bandit quickly detects Max and Dirk, and decides to meet them
at the bridge. Bandit then ambushes in superior numbers and
Dirk and Max have to run across the bridge. Max falls through
a rotten plank and Courage saves him, but Crook brings down
the whole thing.
In bed, Tucker notices the life signs for Max and Dirk fall
off the chart and he decides to risk damage to his arm to
join them as he escapes his hospital bed. At the bridge, the
Black Widows believe the two Zone Riders to be killed, while
actually Max and Dirk are on the ladder, crawling upward.
Their comlinks were damaged when they hit the side, so they
can't call HQ. M.C.C. decides to get Tuckers advice on the
situation, but learn he is gone. He is nearby at a military
launch facility leaving in an authorized plane.
The other Zone Riders decide they might be heading into an
ambush. Ben suggests getting off the trail to turn the tables
on a potential ambush. Ned Tucker arrives via plane as Dirk
reveals he is counting on the idea that the Widows think he
and Max are dead. Tank and Hiro manage to jump the Black Widows
from behind using their own vehicles. Overlord is not pleased
when they radio in. Overlord wants them back to protect the
launch site.
At the destroyed bridge, the others fear the worst for Dirk
and Max, and Ned shows up to guide them around through a lava
tube tunnel. Nearby, Max and Dirk find supply trucks heading
into a secret gate on the volcano. They will sneak in on a
truck. As they arrive, they overhear that "Starship Doom"
is finished and will be launched. Dirk and Max break into
the control room and capture Overlord, but Reaper and Razorback
arrive to overtake them. While Razorback wants to zone them
immediately, Overlord wants them cognizant to see his victory.
Hiro and the others decide to destroy the fuel tanks, but
this traps Dirk and Max amid the flames, having broken out
of the control room. Overlord orders a withdrawal of all Widows
and Zoners. Intruder evacuates immediately. Courage then talks
to Tucker back at HQ, and decides that he can disobey orders
to stay at HQ anytime.
Items
Noticed: Ned's piloting skill is used here, and was remembered
from his information file presented in the SPIRAL
ZONE
comics letter page.
Notes:
Watch for the spiky scene transition, appearing here for the
second time.
What
do we learn? M.C.C. can monitor the Zone Riders life signs
by remote as long as they are outside the zone, which was
first shown to us many episodes ago when Dirk used his biometric
readings cable to ride a zipline.
Apparently
a bad stun hit can be taken very seriously. When a blast hits
a vulnerable area, paralysis can occur. It seems the best
medical treatment is to isolate the limb so that nerve paths
will begin to function again and not lead to permanent paralysis.
Goof
ups: Since this episode is animated by one of the lesser studios,
when Tucker appears in the plane, it looks as if his helmet
has no clear covering at all! With animation like this, it
looks like he'd be unprotected against the SPIRAL
ZONE.
Quotable
Quotes: "Do we have to wait until Christmas, or can we
open it now?" - Ned Tucker
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